WordPress is working out very well for the blog. I'm going to make the switch and just post there. This and all of the
previous years of What's New pages will be available from the home page of the JPA website.
Google Sketch Drawings

We're slowly getting all of the vehicles drawn in Google Sketch. Both future vehicle and past one are going in. So far
MicroTandem, Away 33, Tandem HL and Mach Glider Block 4 are done. I'm working on standard Tandem now.

Tandem Progress

We're adding more filters and other protections circuits to the Tandems electronics. We fixed "noise in the lines"
problem we found last week, however we want to prevent that entire class of problems. It may be a bit of overkill. It add
over 80 electronic parts to solder, but it will make the system very resistant to radio interference problems.
12/4/2007

More Balloon Launched RocketsI've have these three ancient CDs of pictures in the back of my desk literally from about a decade ago. They've been sitting
because they're photo CDs in a weird old Kodak format that nothing can read anymore. Today I tracked down the right driver
on the web and extracted the pics. Some I had copies of, but most hadn't been seen in a long time.

I've pulled together a few of the "Rockoon", (balloon launch rocket) flights. These are our early experiment. Most of these
pictures show the various launch boxes, the container that holds and launched the rocket. Next year we'll be lofting our
fourteenth generation rocket designed for balloon launch.

The first rocket was only 14 inches long.
This was a five foot rocket. It started out well, but had
a problem at ignition.Rockoon three's launch box.
Three Running.
Rockoon five's launch box.
Five heading for the stars.

Rockoon 6 launch box and under balloons.
Number seven be carried out to the balloons.

Balloon
Test VideoHere's the video
from the park test of the new 4000g balloon and launch bag. I sped up
the time to show the whole
day in just over two minutes.

11/29/2007

Blog Software

I'm trying out
wordpress for this blog. I'm hoping it will making managing the blog
easer. I don't know wordpress
very well so please bear with me. I'm going to run wordpress
in parallel with the existing What's New page for a
while to see how it goes.

The new blog allows posting. It's fine if folks disagree with us but
I'll delete anything uncivil, rude or insulting.

Here's a great MicroTandem pic:

11/28/2007We've been
struggling with integrating a ride along payload on Tandem. A
combination of serial standards that aren't and
more RF induction. It's getting there, but it makes for very long days.

Here's some more scenes from the Away 34 mission:

Plugging in Mission Control.
Black Rock at dawn.
It's the Blob!!!!!

Now a word from our sponsors.
Launch!
Heading for the
moon.
11/26/2007

The Midnight Bug

With complex
system you get complex interactions. Last night we chased a very
determined bug. One of the computers on
the airship was reseting. It would happen when we transmitted a request
for a GPS fix. It was very intermittent. After many hour
we worked out that it would happen when A) The backup tracking system
has fully charged batteries, B) The parachute pyrotechnic
leads are connected and C) All other flight systems must be on. The
weird part is the backup tracking system is not connected
in any way to the system having the problem and the parachute
deployment is handed by a different computer all together.

The finally figured out that the transmitter on the backup tracker was
inducting into lead behind the parachute cannon putting a
slight current into the main controller. The main controller
talks to allot of systems over long wires and is protect from
that
sort of
thing. However, with the right combination of commands that
radio
energy found it way to the auxiliary computer and reset it

Now that we know the problem all we need to do is fix it........
11/23/2007

Decks!

The Tandem has
five foam and fiberglass decks. The decks carry the telemetry systems,
cameras, batteries
and anything else we throw on the airship. Several systems
were mounted on temopary decks while we were working
out what goes where. Today we started making the final flight decks.

Down the centerline of Tandem.
11/22/2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm going to
sneak in and put a fiberglass edge on an instrument deck before heading
over to Mom's for
Thanksgiving.

Lots of odds and ends got taken care of Yesterday. The camera
controller was finished. We changed the connectors
for the harness that goes from all the cameras to the controller. The
three pin "post and sleeve" is light and quick in the
field, but the positive lock is not very positive. I have a reoccurring
nightmare about disconnected cameras. It's never
happened, but it was time for something more solid.

The Tandem went up on scales for balancing. The first look was very
close.

Back to building.
11/21/2007
All of the camera heads for the live video system have been installed.
One is pointed to each propeller, one is looking
directly down the center of the truss structure and the last
one is on a motor arm looking center of the vehicle keeping
on eye on the primary systems, the two drogue parachutes and the main
parachute.

We also got started on a new camera controller. More
soldering so I can put off the sewing for yet another day!

Here's a picture from last spring when we test launched a scale Tandem.

11/20/2007Cousteau
had the Calypso, JPA has "Old Number 14". Our Mission control van has
gone into the shop for repairs.
During the last few missions there has been the high pitch whine of
failing bearing coming out of the rear axle.
We've pushed it as far as we dare. Time to get it done before we get
stranded in the desert.

Today the backup balloon release controller was mount on the Tandem
airship. We also got the first of four camera
heads for the live video system mounted.

We made a list of minor modifications to the launch bags as a result of
the park testing. However, I've manage to
convince myself that I can put off the sewing till tomorrow.
11/19/2007

A Day in the ParkBalloons,
bags, rings and systems were all tested. I don't
think we embarrassed ourselves too much in front of the
film crew. SUCCESS! It was a long and challenging day, but a
lot
of fun. There is a Star Bucks that Sam from England
can never return to, but that a whole other story....

11/17/2007
Big Day

Three big deals
will be going on today. First is a bag and ring mating test. We will be
going to the park and filling
one of the huge Tandem balloons. We need to check the fit of
the expanded launch bags. These balloons produce
a lot more lift. There are four thirty foot Velcro strips
that
hold the balloon in the bag. Today we find out if it can take the
load. A ring will be mated to the balloon as it will be in flight.
We'll be checking fit and nozzle placement. It's also a
chance
to train with one of these monster balloons.

The second project for the day is the first set of integration testing.
All the systems, like the telemetry, have been tested on
the bench. Today they will all get tested in the Tandem. There are
always surprises.

The third thing is becoming movie stars! Well, not quite. A
documentary film crew is coming to record the days events.
We're going to be part of a show on the atmosphere. We're
going to record them recording us, should be fun.

It's going to be an intense day.
11/16/2007

Today I pulled
three ounces out of the video system, Yea! Every ounce lighter means a
higher flight and an easier launch.
The live video downlink needed a lot of work. It's was pretty beat up.
It's hasn't been over hauled since the last three or
four missions it's flown on. It last flew on Away 33. On that flight we
lost one of the camera heads. We had a backup
black and white. I soldered on a connector for our custom controller
cleaned up all of the connections on the existing
camera heads. I got as far as making a new battery system and cutting
out the parts for a new housing. Tomorrow
it will be reassembled and mounted on the aft end of Tandem.
Here's what the Tandem looked like back in July 06

This
was when we first installed the rings.
11/15/2007
Tandem Coming to Life

For me a vehicle
begins to come to life when systems go on.Today the wiring for the main controller, the
motor controller,
the sensor controller and sensor arrays was mounted. The GPS tracking
system was also installed. The Tandem is now a
thinking breathing entity, although its thoughts are rather simple
like, "here's my position" and "What do want me to do now?"

The wiring is complicated by the need to take the airship apart to get
it to the launch site. We don't want to remount all the
wiring in the field. To avoid that there are break connectors where the
airship breaks in half. I've gone thought more connectors
in the past month then I even want to think about.

She's starting to look like she wants to fly...
11/14/2007

MicroTandem Launch Video

11/13/2007Here's a couple
of pictures from building the Tandem.

Here's how Tandem looked two years ago.
Ring Assembly with the prototype ring.

We had visitors yesterday from another high altitude airship group. It
was great talking with other folks working the
high environment. I did wedge in adding the serial port to
the motor controller though.
11/11/2007

Airship Work

Saturday was
very
long and very productive. We ran from 10:30am to 3:00am. We're trying
to cutback on the long night.
However, it's hard to stop when everyones on a roll.

Here's a few of the things we worked on:

Foam and fiberglass camera deck

Secondary GPS Tracking system

Insulated housing for the camcorder

Primary motor controller

The starboard motor went bad on us last week. We swapped out the motor
last week. We still needed to pull
the propeller mount off the old motor. It's now bolted on to
the new one.

Paul brought in video he shot of the Micro-Tandem launch. Great stuff.
I got it digitized yesterday. I'll pull clips from and it and
have them up in a few days.
11/5/2007

The loops are on and the pyro housing are complete. The great debate of
the day involves the movie "Snakes on a Plane"
and Australians, (yes, we're at an intellectual peak today).Bob is testing
the communications between the main controller and the sensor
controller.

4:38pm

We're back from lunch. Basicly an hour of chicken and mission
planning. The next flight is pretty complex so we may stay
the night on the desert instead of staying in the hotel. That will
allow us to set up equipement the night before and leave it out.

The voltage sensor have been calibrated and we're getting the van tire
we blew on the last mission over to the tire store.
All two hundred frame bolts have been pulled, locktite applied and
replaced.

6:50pm

All of the excess length from the bolts on the airship have been
trimmed. Now we're doing the slow task of sanding all the cut
off ends smooth.

The flight digital compass just made though calibration. We made a
slight modification to the program. It now put out true headings
instead of magnetic headings. That will make it a bit easer to use in
the field.

Time to start soldering connectors to the new flight batteries. Does
the excitment ever end!

9:00pm

The primary controller is being modified to control a bow thruster. It
involves adding a another serial port and a few lines of code.

Ross is still soldering away on battery connections. As he finishes one
stack I bring out another. I think the joke is starting to get
old. At least for him. It's still keeping the rest of us amused.

We just made getting the blowen van tire into the tire shop. Good news
it was still under warranty. $30
beats $250 anyday. The
tires are special, made for high load and pressure.

Time for hamburgers for a second wind.

10:49pm

Battery soldering continues. Only two more to go. All of the trimmed
bolts have been sanded. Only one more modification
to themain telemetry controller to go. The team is starting to getting
tired. A few that came early have already headed off.

I've just finished the layout of a new balloon seperation controller
(the popper). Bob got all the parts together for me so it's time
to build the puppy up.

1:05am

We down to just three of us. One serial port, one ring to tape and one
daughter board to complete and we're going to all it a night.

1:30am

We're cleaning up and getting ready to head out the door. It's been
along day with a lot accomplished. We lined off the
entire todo list plus got we got all the sensors calibrated, and a new
circurt built. We can all head home feeling a little close
to orbit. Good night all.

JP

11/2/2007The balloon
launch bags were designed to handle two sizes of balloon.
Instead of making an entire new bag
pleats at the end of the bag are pulled and resewing. The pleats and a
larger tear panel means, in theory, that a bag can be
switched between the two balloon sizes without much trouble.

The reality turned out to be different. 'Bag size conversion' in
turning out to be a lot of work. The next set of launch bags will
be dedicated to a single balloon size.